Frontline Gaza medics join Leeds screening of award-winning documentary
A hard-hitting documentary that offers a rare and unfiltered glimpse into life under siege in Gaza will be screened in Leeds.
On 26 September, the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival, in partnership with West Yorkshire Health Workers for Palestine, will host a special screening of A State of Passion. This hard-hitting documentary offers a rare and unfiltered glimpse into life under siege in Gaza. The event will take place at St Chad’s Parish Centre in Headingley, as part of this year’s Scalarama Leeds DIY Film Festival.
The screening will be followed by a live Q&A with UK-based medics, some of whom have recently returned from Gaza, bearing witness to the devastation and calling for compassion, protection, and peace.
Directed by acclaimed Lebanese filmmaker Carol Mansour and researcher-turned-filmmaker Mona Khalidi, the film tells the story of Dr Ghassan Abu Sittah, a British-Palestinian reconstructive surgeon who worked for 43 days without pause in Gaza’s Al Shifa and Al Ahli hospitals during Israel’s bombardment.
Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi, directors and producers, said: "We are thrilled that our film A State of Passion will be present at this year's Leeds Palestinian Film Festival. With all the horror of the ongoing genocide in Gaza, it is more urgent than ever to have our narrative of the reality of genocide be told in all its horror and in the sumud and passion of Palestinians."
Festival organisers say the screening offers Leeds audiences a rare chance to see the film, which has not yet been widely released in the UK.
Jane Stageman, Co-Director of the Leeds Palestinian Film Festival, said: “This is an extraordinary film that shows both the human cost of war and the incredible resilience of those who continue to provide care under unimaginable conditions. We’re proud to bring it to Leeds, and even more honoured to welcome medics who have worked in Gaza to share their stories first-hand.”
Since its world premiere at the 45th Cairo International Film Festival in November 2024 — where it scooped Best Arab Film, a Jury Prize and a Silver Award for Best Palestinian Film — A State of Passion has continued to gather acclaim, including the Audience Award at the Karama Human Rights Film Festival in Amman, Best Feature-Length Documentary at the 21st Ard Film Festival in Cagliari and Audience Choice Award at the San Diego Arab Film Festival.
Tickets for A State of Passion are priced at £5–£7.50 and are available now via Eventbrite.